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Deyjah Harris opened up about her experiences with self-harm on Self-Injury Awareness Day (S.I.A.D.). In a transparent Instagram post, the TV personality showed us that she is not only a survivor, but she stands with others going through the same experiences. If you follow Deyjah, then you know she is no stranger to using her platform to discuss mental health-related issues.
Shortly after, Deyjah dedicated another post to her parents and step-mom, Tiny Harris, for their continued support during her dark days. “I just want to quickly thank my parents for always being so patient with me… even when Y’all didn’t really understand. Anytime i might’ve returned back to square one, y’all were always working together to figure out what it is that Y’all can do it to make life worth living for me… and i genuinely appreciate everything you both have done for me.”
Deyjah has never hid who she was or her experiences with mental health. And I applaud her courage to share her story. In addition, I am proud that she isn’t embarrassed about her scars and was able to get the help she needed.
Facts About Self-Harm
- Cutting
- Scratching
- Burning
- Carving words or symbols into the skin
- Hitting or punching oneself (including banging one’s head or other body parts against another surface)
- Piercing the skin with sharp objects such as hairpins
- Pulling out hair
- Picking at existing wounds
A lot of times people use self-harm as a coping mechanism for their emotions, which can be dangerous. The physical effects from self-harm can end tragically. People may experience uncontrollable bleeding, infection, or even an addiction to the behavior. Not to mention the social effects it causes such as avoiding loved ones to hide injuries.
How the Self-Harm Rates Effect Us
Sadly, data reports that over time found higher average annual increases among Black and South Asian young people and those from other non-white ethnic groups compared to white young people. Although white people are still ranked the highest, numbers for Blacks have increased recently. Bullying, poverty, depression, etc., are just a few factors that have caused this increase. And unfortunately, with us going into our 3rd year of the pandemic, it has taken its toll on so many.
Last year, University of Manchester professor Nav Kapur admitted researchers “haven’t had excellent information on self-harm and suicide in people from ethnic minorities. Data on young people from these communities have been even more sparse.”
“We need to understand the reasons for these findings and make sure we do better in the future, whether that is through the provision of culturally adapted mental health services or better staff training. We also need to stop thinking about people from ethnic minorities as part of a single group with uniform needs.”
Resources such as the Crisis Text Line can help you deal with self-harm. Text a Crisis Counselor at 741741, or use the mobile text button below.
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